The Bruneau River Canyon is one of 14 rivers protected as Wild and Scenic Rivers with passage of the Owyhee Initiative in 2009. Your feedback on a BLM management plan can help mold future management activities. (Photo by Kevin Lewis)

The Bureau of Land Management has released a draft management plan for 325 miles of new Wild and Scenic Rivers and 517,000 acres of new wilderness areas in the Owyhee Canyonlands of southwest Idaho.

On March 30, 2009, Congress passed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, which was the culmination of years of work by a wide array of interest groups, including Idaho Rivers United. With passage of the act, 14 new streams were added to the national Wild and Scenic River system, and six new wilderness areas were created.

“These designations were the result of nearly a decade of work and reflect consensus-based approach to resolving longstanding resource conflicts in one of Idaho’s most remote regions,” said IRU Executive Director Bill Sedivy. “The BLM’s daft management plan will dictate how these new areas are managed into the foreseeable future, and your input will be valuable.”

The BLM has scheduled two public meetings to discuss issues and concerns with the draft plan: April 9 at the BLM Boise District Office, 3948 Development Avenue (near the airport), and the second on April 10 at the Owyhee Historical Museum in Murphy, Idaho. Both meetings are from 5 to 7:30 p.m.